The Dance of Chaos [IC-Fantasy-OPEN]

[Dragos Bee]

Kyle Perrin-Palailogos, Arghyo, with NPCs in Duivene

Messenger-Mages existed, specialized practitioners who used magic to send messages across vast distances. However, what prevented them from being common was the fact that they were expensive, such that only people like Kyle can afford them, and even then at great cost to one's coffers. Thankfully, Kyle had employed one when setting up a spy ring in the city and citadel of Chovers, capital of the most powerful of the human realms. Why was he setting a spy ring there? Because his mission, to restore order to the continent, can only be accomplished by rooting out Chaos in each realm, starting with the most civilized ones to the south and working their way up to the north. He already had operations in place in Anselm and Calaria and around his home of Argyho - The only place where he cooperated with the authorities. But it was the operation in Duivene and Chovers which were the most important right now, due to the Corrupted Faith's efforts.

The Messenger-Mage who led the spy ring, a 'Bard' by the name of Eglamour, was now sending word to Kyle of the battle occurring within the citadel, beaming the words into the merchant's mind directly as he chanted the words of the message, "Mr. Kyle, all is chaos - The Faith and the Steward are acting together to kill Princess Alexis, with their soldiers being sent to kill her as she lies wounded. At the same time, Eric de Villegaignon has taken up open arms against the Punitores. I've tried to expand the numbers of our ring, but only nine can be counted to be truly loyal while the rest are attached only to coin. I am mobilizing three to save the Princess, three to bust their way into the Stewards' chambers and acquire information of his treachery to show the Princess once she wakes up, and I am moving with the last three to save Eric. Be prepared with a contingency for the consequences, good or ill - Eglamour out!"

Kyle tried to keep a clear head as his connection to the Messenger-Mage faded. He needed to send letters by trained raven to his remaining contacts in Duivene to prepare to take advantage (assuming they succeed) or to hide or evacuate (if they fail). Then he needed to go to the local Argyhonian foreign office to notify them of ongoing and possible developments. He was going to need them in case of success and failure.

He trusted Eglamour, he knew he and his spies, a mix of fellow bards, armed servants, and one or two palace guards would be able to at least stall the enemy's plans. But will he have to spend the life of a trusted friend and operative so soon? As Kyle began drafting small letters to send via his birds, all he can think about was that if he was in error, Duivene will fall to Chaos...

------

As Melodie de Beauvais fought with the Punitores and the Faith's Magi, two men in butcher's outfits, recognizable as minor cooks in the Imperial Kitchens, busted their way in, carrying large cleavers and wearing tough leather aprons with cheap brigandine armor underneath. These were followed by one of the Palace Bards with a Lute, which he began strumming, his voice carrying the undoubtable reverbrations of arcane power as he sang a song of battle and war, where the 'Corrupted Faith' would be smitten and remade anew. As the 'minor cooks' moved to engage the Punitores, the latter would find their senses assailed by the smell and heat of imaginary flames, same for any member of the Faith struggling to take the Princess away...

------

Two minor clerks and a maid would seek out the Steward's private study, using magic (the clerks were Magi in disguise) or knifework (the maid was an assassin) to find evidence of the Steward's treachery. If the Steward was nearby, they'd throw caution into the winds and try and stab him to death. If his guards were nearby, they'd try and sneak past them or otherwise decieve them with spells of confusion or just kill them. Either way, they'd use further magic to find the exact documents in question to bring to the Princess once she wakes up...

------

Two palace guards and another bard were there to greet Eglamour as the Messenger-Mage said, "Let's go - If Duivene falls, Argyho will eventually fall as well! We help Eric and slay all in our way!"

He took out his own lute and a bottle of Mana Potion, drank and cast aside the latter, then went off to the estimated location of Eric and his soldiers, his fellow spies following him...

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Anselm
Rural Countryside
"Freemen's Drink" Tavern

Perhaps Adelheid's idea of buying Yakr a full barrel of beer or two was going to come in very handy for as she waited for a reply, two more souls joined their little round, more than making up for that elf's disappearing trick...or well, would have if they weren't so...so young. They were most certainly not out of their teens and judging by how well they were dressed and how...how smooth their skin and hair was, she wagered they were the sons of rich parents.

Normally she would have shut these down immediately and given them the friendly advice to return home and leave these dangerous things to adults like herself. However...they were covered in blood and seeing how she couldn't spot any gashes or slices in their outfits nor saw them carry themselves with any pain, it had to be foreign blood. They had killed on their way here which did already set them apart from most rich kids that didn't know squat about the world and got murdered in some forest while trying to go adventuring and become a hero.

Still, she had to make sure so she gave them a friendly smile and a stern looked as she put her elbows on the table before her and locked her fingers before asking:

"Indeed we do and you are free to take a seat. Would you also be interested in some beer or would you prefer...lighter...beverages?

Now boys, I mean no offense, but do you know what you are getting into? Are your parents aware of where you are? These parts are dangerous and where I intend to go, most do no return from. I cannot in good faith expose you to these dangers without knowing that you are fully aware of the consequences."

[Faal Lot Himdah]

The Mountain Crusher, Yakr Rugma
The Freeman's Drink Tavern, Anselm

---

As Adelheid offered Yakr to take a seat, two new people approached. As they began to speak, Yakr sat down on the ground with an audible thud. The two newcomers were human, one in red and one in black. Both looked young even to the 4.6 metre Karaki-Giant hybrid. Adelheid asking them about their parents confirmed Yakr's observation of their age.

As Adelheid finished speaking to the two, Yakr spoke up.

"Yakr will take drink." He said and then paused, "Yakr means accept Adelheid's offer. Not take take."

---

Pynus of the Wind and Co
The Freeman's Drink Tavern, Anselm

---

As Adelheid spoke to the two boys, the doors to the tavern swung open, and a certain Loroi armed with at least one obvious dagger, and a wooden sword sheathed on her side, while carrying a bag over one shoulder, entered with a scalawag swagger. Pynus of the Wind had arrived, with two other women following behind her.

First thing Pynus did was approach the counter, and order a drink, while asking the tavern keep about a certain pamphlet in her hand. After a short conversation, Pynus continued through the tavern to the terrance. Upon reaching the terrance, she paused for a moment as eyes fell on the very obvious green giant sitting down at a table with a women and two boys.

"That is one big Karaki." Pynus said outloud, catching the attention of Yakr before she continued her approach to the table.

"Excuse me boys." Pynus said as she stepped between the two boys and put her tankard on the table along with the pamphlet and then looked at Adelheid, "You the one who put these up? If so, sign me up... and those two over there."

As she finished, she pointed to the other two women who where following her. Pynus then looked back to Adelheid, "If you are not, then I guess this could be quite awkward for you."

---

The Forgotten Prince, Az'goxaak
Is this meant to be a threat?

---

He heard them long before he saw them. By time they found him, Az was laying on the ground, his head against a burnt out stump with his hand behind his head. Now, when he saw them, they were not what he was expecting. He was expecting the Faith's Judgement to be, well more alive. After all, the force that was surrounding him seemed to a mix of living and undead. Something was definitely wrong. Either something was wrong with his assumptions on the Faith's Judgement, or this wasn't the Faith's Judgement.

And then he saw the symbol. A snake biting its own tail, surrounded by flame.

Alright... most definitely not the Faith's Judgement. he thought to himself as he sat up as the obvious leader of this unknown party spoke to him. As she spoke, Az couldn't help but feel as if she was trying to threaten him. Sure, she started by asking if he needed help, but the weapons pointing towards him sure spoke to the intent hidden underneath the words.

"Hard to say." Az said and looked to the weapons pointing at him, "Might be a little easier to think if weapons were not being pointed at me."

He shrugged, "You ask if I need any help, then say you can help me and then imply you will only do so if I help you. All while..." He paused as he pointed to each weapon pointing at him, "... a number of swords and spears are pointed at me."

It was then he looked directly at the obvious leader of this third party, "So, do you want to ask again more politely? Introduce yourself. Introduce your friends. And don't attempt to threaten me. Really not a great play to get information, trust me."

[Dragos Bee]

Daniel and Leon Perrin-Palaiologos, Anselm

Leon sighed and gave his explanation, "Our parents are dead, my twin here wanted to go adventuring, and we're both Mages. We also know that that mission is into the Merckburger Fen and we're facing something dangerous which can throw this already-chaotic land into further disorder. To be honest, if not for the fact that letting whatever is happening continue to happen will cost the next generation - Us - dearly, we wouldn't have accepted your pamphlet. But the purpose of setting such a low reward was to prevent cowards and the vile from joining in, right?"

Daniel then said, "Milady, this is our world as well, our land. Well, not our land as we live in Arghyo, but we want to do our part in making it a better place."

A pause, "Also, as for beverages, we'd like milk - We'll boil it ourselves. Either way, this isn't just a lark. While I'm the more reckless sibling, I know full well that death is on the horizon if we take on much more than we can chew." Then a smile, "Thankfully, I am learned in the sword and in a wide range of magic while Leon, my brother, specializes in binding and shielding. We won't be burdens and we won't be easily killed."

At Pynus' entrance, Daniel looked at the pirate and her magic wooden sword and said enthusiastically, "You - You're Pynus of the Wind! The pirate with the magic wooden sword which can chop through metal! My name is Daniel -"

Leon cleared his throat, warning his twin not to reveal his last name.

"My name is Daniel and this is Leon, we're adventurers!" Daniel said. "Let's take on the dangers of this world together!"

Then he went towards the huge Orc, and said, "You're a Karakki, right? If so, do you directly come from the steppes north? What Gods do you believe in? What Spirits? Is it true that you have Shamans who work with the Spirits instead of commanding them?"

[Elysian Kentarchy]

Mélodie Beauvais

My mind works quickly, the Faith Keepers taking the Princess? Attacking us? My hands work quicker than my thoughts and I lunge at one of the Keepers, sinking the dagger I have hidden on me into his neck, I don't think this is what father had in mind when he gave me advice on protecting myself with a hidden one on my person. Wasting no time, I pull the dagger out of him and turn to the other one who has drawn his sword and I tackle him, sending the both of us out the door, into the hallway, and onto the ground. Finding myself on top of him and giving him no time to recover I immediately stab him in the throat.

I then switch my knife to my weaker hand and pick up the sword that he had managed to hold onto even in death. Cassia, how long has it been since I have picked up a sword like this? Picked one up for something that didn't involve cleaning the Princess' war gear? I shake my head, no time to get sentimental now, looking around I see them carrying a few servants and a bard(?) fighting some more of Punitores. What are the minor cooks doing here? I shake my head, I'm sure a maid with a sword is more odd. So I raise the blade I took and shout "Servants of Duivene! We must protect the Princess at all costs!" And I promptly chase after the ones taking the Princess.

Illania de Velira

If it were not for my current situation I would find this to be endlessly amusing. The Haliarchy and Duivenians fighting each other? Wonderful, simply wonderful but nothing will change my fate and not like I could do anything to change it even if I wanted to, being restrained as I am. So I sit and listen as the enemies of the Undying Emperor kill each other. If the Faith Keepers win my fate is sealed their false repentence and atonement, if the Duivenians win I will probably live a bit longer but my fate is also sealed. So I simply listen as they battle and wait for my death.

"Solomon, may the Eternal Flame bless you, always." I whisper to myself.

A Maiden of the Eternal Flame, Achysian-Xerenian battle

I feel a familiar heat by my side and I set the cage down on the ground and hear the message sent to me by one of my sisters. “Lord Solomon, General de Velira is asking for a report on the battle.”

“Inform grandfather that the battle is still in the skirmish phase but it seems like we are at an advantage. There has been no sighting of Ekatiz however.” Solomon replies calmly and I convey the message through the Flame and receive a reply.

“He says to continue the excellent work and if you find a way to exploit the situation go for it.”

“Tell him I said ‘understood’.” I do so and after receiving acknowledgment from my sister I return to Solomon’s side using the sound of his voice and take my seat next to him. As I do so I hear a fantastic roar in the air and I hear Lord Solomon mutter to himself. "The wyverns come."

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Anselm
Rural Countryside
"Freemen's Drink" Tavern

Adelheid gifted Yakr a smile before raising her left arm, indicating to a young lad whipping tables clean with a wet cloth that he was to come over to them really quick. Something that he would obviously not manage to do in a heartbeat so she had some time to focus back on the two young lads. Two young, orphaned lads, she mentally corrected herself. Well that certainly would lend itself well to any sob story they could tell to ingratiate themselves somewhere. Though most people who tried that usually brought that up first so there was likely no ill intent in their actions. Still, they were children and if they were orphans then they likely were all that was left of their family...they carried a responsibility.

Adelheid wasn't going to be convinced that easily, still being understanding and trying another way:

"I see, my sincerest condolences in that case. Now, your resumes and skills and abilities are quite impressive, especcially considering your very young age but still...are you all that remains of your family? No aunts, uncles, cousins? No one to continue the family line or administer the family wealth and estates?"

She didn't give them time to interject continued rightaway:

"And don't tell me there are no such things. From your rather extravagant outfits I can see that you are wealthy...and given your youth it likely wasn't your own, self-earned wealth. So yes, what happens to the family name and family fortune?"

However, she had little time to continue working on the lads, more adventurers having joined their little party and disturbing their little chat, something Adelheid wasn't quite happy with even if she was very happy about more help joining her cause. The newcomer appeared to be a Loroi? The ears gave it away though her companions stayed in the back, not allowing Adelheid to get a good look at them. Their clothing also suggested something more adventurous and from a far less...wealthy background than the twins. Still, her attitude was...not something that Adelheid was used to dealing with, normally having to work kowtowing commoners or haughty yet still polite aristocrats.

Adelheid's eyes narrowed, the understanding expression she had worn for the twins quickly fading when they enthusiastically greeted Pynus, a cold frown forming on her face when they dropped the name Pynus of the Wind. A name she thought-

Her expression got even colder and almost unmoving when they continued, identifying her as a pirate. Yes, Adelheid had certainly heard of that, now being able to connect the name to deeds. Now what was a pirate doing here?

"I put these up indeed...but I am not so sure wether I should accept your application to join this party. Your reputation is not unknown to me, pirate, and I wonder how I am to accomplish anything in my task of ridding this nation of crime and corruption if I show myself corrupt and collaborate with a known criminal and scourge of the seas such as yourself?"

She turned her attention away for a moment to the yound lad she had motioned to come to her table, giving him a cold look and ordering:

"Two barrels of your finest beer. Also two glasses of cold milk."

She considered ordering a drink for Pynus out of politeness...but saw that she already had a mug, making that unnecessary so she sent the boy off again to fetch the drinks she had asked for. She sighed when she looked at Pynus again, massaging her forehead with one hand, tiredly asking:

"I am sorry, I know, beggars like myself in this situation cannot be choosers but your credentials really speak against you."

[Tracian Empire]

A little later
Somewhere
A demon

The woman giggled. "Threaten you? Oh my. My dear sir, you have completely misunderstood us. We were not trying to threaten you at all. But you can never know what lurks in the night..", she said, smirking "Especially during this night, when there are all manners of monsters and beasts walking around. Appearances can be deceiving, so you can never be too careful.". She gestured to her living and undead soldiers to lower their weapons. They remained in their circle, but turned around with their backs at them, and a few of them broke off from their formation and disappeared into the night, also leaving a way open for Az, were he to want to leave. "As for the question of help.. the concept of charity sadly doesn't exist outside of the Sixteen Petaled Flower and its pages. The world is far too cruel for such a concept to properly exist, so far away from the influence of the Gods. Is mutual helping then really such bad of a thing? You help me and I help you in return is a much better concept than abandoning yourself to the whims of a hollow concept such as trust." Despite the few moments of seriousness, she immediately returned to her regular smirk.

"I would be more than happy to introduce myself if I would have had a name that I could tell you..but I'm afraid that I can not do that. Not fully remembering your identity tends to be a side-effect of not having many memories of your life. But it would be really impolite not to be able to introduce myself.. so you can call me Estelle.", she told him, a smile replacing the smirk on her face. "As for my friends.. well, some of them do have names, but it is slightly complicated to find out their names considering that they are mute. As for the hmm.. less than alive friends of mine, necromancers usually do not bother to learn the names of those who had once been alive, and they don't really need names in order to react to commands.. but if you wish to talk to them, you can call them Ayb, they'll all answer to the same name without a problem." She then remained silent for a brief moment, carefully looking at Az as if she was inspecting him. "With whom do we have the pleasure then? But regardless, my earlier question still stands. We are simply looking for someone, even if that someone does not know that yet. And we are not the only ones. The Faith's Judgment is looking for her too, and a Loroi like you should know very well that the Faith's Judgement can not be trusted. Have you seen her?"

---

Somewhere else entirely
A blind boy

it was a quiet, but pleasant night. It was relatively warm, actually, as befitting of a good summer night, with the strange exception of a particular village - that looked as if it had just been hit by a blizzard. It was the kind of village present everywhere throughout Duivene, small, built mostly from wood, and surrounded by a wooden palisade, but it was also pretty different, in that it was partially hidden inside a forest, with nothing connecting it to the main road, and there was also no castle belonging to any noble anywhere in sight. Those of course, were perhaps the most normal things about this particular village. Even if it was summer all around it, snow was pilled high on its alleys and on the houses, and icicles were hanging from the roofs, while other weird, ice formations were simply laying here and there, some on houses, some on the roads. And of course, besides from that, the village was also completely empty and silent. With so much snow, ice, and cold around, one would expect that the villagers would have made fires inside their homes, and yet there was no smoke coming from any chimneys, there was no light anywhere, and no sound.. just eerie silence and freezing air.

Almost. Truth be told, there was someone there, waiting right in the middle of the small square that would have formed the center of the village, but anyone could be forgiven for initially missing him - he was very well camouflaged by his surroundings. It was a boy, not very tall, and wearing the attire that one would expect a priest to wear, a tunic, an embroidered robe, laced cuffs, and a mantle, but unlike the priests of the Faith, all of his clothes were simply white, without a drop of color, almost indistinguishable from the snow. His pale, ghastly skin was certainly not helping, and neither was his snowy, medium-length hair which was arranged behind his back in a ponytail. But if someone were to get close enough to get a good look at him, his eyes were perhaps his most striking feature. Silver, but hollow and hazy, beautiful, but very disturbing. He was standing there, looking at a pole-like structure of ice right in front of him, his breath visible in the cold air, but he wasn't actually looking at it. He was blind, that much would have been obvious to anyone.

He seemed to be waiting for someone, and eventually, steps could be heard behind him. He smiled. "Thank you.. for meeting me here." He was talking in a low, soft voice, as he turned around to face that person, looking in its general direction, but never able to actually see it. "Meta..", he said, almost whispering her name, as a hint of sadness could be seen in his smile. "We can't ever meet each other again."

---

Kingdom of Duivene
Citadel of Chovers
The Two Towers

A room inside the Tower of the Augurs

For a moment, it all seemed to be under control. Even as the battle had just started, the Faith Keepers quickly managed to overpower the two Duivenian soldiers, whose longswords and heavier armors were completely unsuited for fighting in such spaces, while them not wearing helmets had basically sealed their fates. As two dead bodies were falling on the ground, the other two Faith Keepers were about to attempt to immobilize the first maid, but that is where their plans stumbled. Before he could even react, the first of the two had a knife lodged into his neck, and as the maid pulled the dagger out of him and moved to strike the next, two cooks and a bard randomly entered the room, engaging the other Faith Keepers into combat. As if this wave of confusion hadn't been enough, the second soldier sent to apprehend the maids quickly fell too, having been too distracted by the entrance of the newcomers to pay attention to his dead comrade. Before he could do anything, the maid had tackled him, pushing him outside of the room, and killing him there, before shouting to rouse the Duivenians and leaving in pursuit.

Inside the room however, the remaining Faith Keepers quickly recovered their spirit, the smell of blood reminding them of the life and death situation they were in. At the beginning, the magic of the bard seemed to have effect, the pain of flames causing one of them to drop their sword and to be stabbed and killed by the butchers, one of the two remaining ones quickly chanted something in Faith Thyrian, and both he and his comrade calmed down, with crimson magical circles appearing in front of their ears, blocking the sound and the magic of the bard from affecting them. Coming together, and linking their shields together, the Faith Keepers rushed forward, using their shields to push their enemies out of the way, and causing the bard to trip over one of the dead bodies and fall over, while one of the Keepers tried to stab one of the butchers in the rush of the action, only to miss and to hit him in the head with the back of the blade. But they were not going to leave and run away. Turning around, with their backs at the door, the two of them advanced, the shields still forward and protecting them, attempting to kill the butchers and the bard as soon as possible.

A hallway, inside the Tower of Augurs

It didn't take long for Mélodie to reach the Faith Keepers carrying the princess, after all, carrying someone's body isn't that easy of a task, no matter of how light in might be. She caught them right before they reached the stairs - but there was something rather odd going on. Not only were the higher ranked Faith Keepers from earlier, including their leader, missing, but from the four Punitores that had left, only three were left, two of them actually carrying the princess, and one guarding them. It was quite obvious that they were not excepting this to happen, since Mélodie's arrival made them turn around suddenly - but instead of running away, or attacking her, the Keepers seemed to be at least somewhat frightened by the sight of a maid armed with a Faith Keeper's swords and with her costume drenched in blood. The two carrying her nearly dropped Alexis for a brief moment, as their first, instinctive reaction was probably to reach for their swords and attack her, before realizing what they were about to do and stopping - but the third one did indeed unsheathe his sword. Faced with the prospect of fighting alone however, he threw away the honorable choice - that was for him to fight and stall while the others would have ran away with the princess, and instead, he pointed his blade at the unconscious princess' throat.

"S-stay right where y-you are.. or.. or she's d-dead!", he shouted, stuttering slightly.


On another floor, inside the Tower of the Augurs

Unfortunately, for the two minor clerks and the maid - as they tried to approach the Steward's private study, it seemed to be devoid of any guards, allowing them to get right next to it - but before they were able to reach it, the door opened. And someone existed the room, stopping right in front of them. It was a a young man, with a rather attractive, albeit somewhat frail appearance - with pale skin, long, chalk-white hair, and pinkish eyes, but with a red mark covering most of the left part of his face. A light armor, chainmail and a few plates, and a crimson tunic with a scarlet cloak over it was his attire, but it clearly marked him as a member of the Faith's Judgement, and an estoc was sheathed, tied to his belt. In his left hand, there was a rather peculiar book - large, covered in gold and crimson leather, without a title and with a single symbol on the cover - a crimson flower.

He simply smiled.

"Oh my..", he told them in a warm and gentle voice. "What would three servants such as yourselves be doing on a floor reserved for the nobility?"
Inside one of the barracks

With Eric and Peter quickly leaving to deal with what seemed to be an unexpected battle outside, it was only two Duivenian soldiers who had remained inside the barracks in order to guard Illania. The sounds of the battle from the outside were clear and loud, and although clearly afraid and nervous, they stood their ground and continued to perform the duty they had been assigned - until the door to the barracks they were in was suddenly kicked open. Another Duivenian soldier entered, screaming. "They've taken the princess, the princess is.." But he never managed to finish his sentence. The blade of a large axe broke his head open from behind, and he collapsed to the floor in a pool of blood, the axe still lodged in his head.

One of the soldiers screamed, as both Duivenians unsheathed their swords, only for a large and muscular Faith Keeper in crimson armor to enter. He didn't even bother to look at them - instead looking directly at the bound Illania. "Witch of the Deceitful Flame, your time has come!", he growled, as the unsheathed his short sword, and jumped forward. Before he could reach the woman however, one of the soldiers instinctively jumped in front of her. It wasn't much of a battle. As they clashed, the force of the impact sent the soldier back and down, as he fell right in front of the chair where the Achysian woman was sitting, but it caused the Faith Keeper to stagger, which allowed the second soldier to intervene. Before their blades could even crash, the Faith Keeper used a dagger that appeared in his left hand to stab the soldier straight in his eye. As another body hit the floor, anyone would have expected the other soldier to just run away and leave the witch for dead at the hands of this maniac, but instead he lunged forward, tightly gripping both his sword and his shield. The Keeper braced for impact, but instead the soldier threw his shield at him, and then crashed into him, both of them falling on the ground and struggling. It was impossible for her to see exactly what was happening, but eventually the soldier grabbed his shield again, and repeatedly hit the enemy in the head with it, until he stopped moving.

As he stood back up however, he nearly stumbled and fell, and that's when she could have noticed that blood was gushing out from the space between the plates of his armor, right around his stomach. "My princess has.. saved you.. already..", he said, as he fell to his knees next to her chair. "She spared your life.. when everyone, everyone wanted you dead.", he told her in a low voice, as he took out a key and removed the metallic cuffs around her arms. "Please.. now.. you.. save her.."

In the courtyard

At the beginning, it looked as if no one was going to do anything. The Punitores alone were intimidating by themselves, but combined with the veiled priestess and her magic, the soldiers initially slowly started to back off, even if they could at least vaguely understand that there was something really, really wrong about this entire situation. But then, Eric used the pretense of surrendering his weapon to defeat the soldier in front of him, and then to start fighting, and the soldiers hesitated, as the former noble along whom they had fought the night before killed two more enemies, his blade shining with magic. It started slowly, screams and shouts here and there, some of the soldiers jumping on the Faith Keepers in front of them, killing them with their bare hands of with daggers they had hidden, taking their swords away.

And yet, it seemed like the majority of the people were too afraid to fight, until one Duivenian came out running from the Tower of the Augurs. "The Princess! The Faith's Judgment kidnapped the Princess!"

It was enough. A moment of eerie silence, and then a roar of anger as the soldiers clashed into the Faith Keepers. It was a slaughter initially, as the first attacks had put the crimson armored soldiers on guard, but the Duivenians did not care. Their Princess had risked her life too many times to save theirs, and they had failed her too many times. Here, they were ready, and willing, to do anything, to die, if it meant saving her. She was the living hope of the realm. No way were they going to let them take her away, even if it meant condemning their souls to the Eight Hells.

And they weren't alone. As the clashes started the soldiers of the Steward who had been carrying the weapons of the other soldiers away hesitated - before opening the doors of the wooden depots wide - and starting to throw the swords back at their comrades, while one of them started to wave a banner of Duivene around, a dark blue unicorn on a white background.

The battle had begun in its earnest. And yet, the veiled priestess in the middle of it didn't seem to be affected in the slightest, as she continued to chant. And someone shouted - "The priestess! She needs to be stopped!"

[Dragos Bee]

Kyle Perrin-Palailogos, Arghyo, with NPCs in Duivene

The Room of the Augurs

The bard was knocked over, but not out, which showed when he sang one note, a note of magical music which targeted not the ears and psyches of the Faith Keepers, but the shields they used, which began to shake uncontrollably, then shatter, giving the last minor cook still standing a chance to counterattack. This, however, used up the bard's own Mana reserves, forcing him to take out a blue bottle of replenishing potion and hope that the minor cook's counterattack was enough to buy him time for more spells.

The Steward's Floor

"We were sent here for 'special duties' for the Steward..." The maid said to buy time as she and the two minor clerks walked backward, knowing full well that this personage was not one they can take. Nevertheless, they also knew that they had to get away before this inquisitor or something killed them all, and that cannot be done with words alone.

"Smoke!" the first minor clerk said suddenly, and the hallway was flooded in thick black smoke. He, the maid, and the second minor clerk ran for the stairway, with the latter muttering a more complicated chant under his breath.

A few seconds later, multiple duplicates of the maid and clerks appeared on the way to the stairwell, illusionary constructs meant to buy them more time to get away...

Barracks Courtyard

Eglamour and his agents - Two palace guards and another bard, managed to get to the courtyard in time to join the battle in earnest, and he promptly gestured for said agents to join the fight against the Faith, with the secondary bard tasked with singing a song of rejuvenation. As for himself, he had a priestess to murder.

Casting his lute aside for one of the swords dropped by the soldiers, Eglamour sang his own song as he cut his way to the priestess, a song of war and slaying which contained the strength of several enhancement spells, from faster speed and reflexes to greater strength and even minor protection from thrown projectiles and glancing strikes from the enemies' swords. And once he reached the priestess, hopefully before she finished her chant, he'd cut off her head with an enhanced swing of his own blade.

All of them

Kyle didn't hire these ten agents if he was without faith in their abilities, didn't spend so much coin to plant them inside the heart of Duivene just to see them killed easily. They were his investment, but also people he thought fondly of, or at least he thought fondly of Eglamour. Whatever happened, he will cleanse the 'Corrupted Faith's' influence in Duivene and make his first and greatest ally against the scourge of slavery and oppression...

[Dragos Bee]

Lady Admiral/Warmage Alessia, Kartaran Main Island

It was still the Night of the Bloody Moons where Alessia was, and she intended to use that fact to its fullest. Standing on a great plateau which overlooked Fort Highmountain, surrounded by the shamans of each tribe in the recently-proclaimed Bearpact and a ring of totem poles symbolizing the clans she had brought under her leadership and the Spirits they worshipped, the Warmage raised her mystic staff in her left hand, while casting a pouch of herbs into the bonfire at the center of the plateau, causing a plume of white-grey smoke to rise up to the heavens. As the shamans beat drums and sang to the glory of the spirits and ancestors, Alessia began her own chant, using the Kartaran tounge with a few Achysian loanwords. Breathing in the smoke, letting the visions it induced flood through her mind, the Warmage, she who would have been an Archmage in any other nation, made a speech, a speech relayed by the spirits' magic to everyone in the area and the settlement some ways below.

"People of Kartara, people of the Bearpact, this is the hour of vengeance, of retribution and resurgence!" Alessia shouted as her staff began to glow, channeling her magic, the shamans', and the Five Totems into one vortex of force, a vortex empowered by the Three Moons. "The Calarians fail to revere the waters and rivers, the ponds and lakes, bringing war and death where their feet touch! Now, their chief settlement, from which their armies march to burn and enslave, will pay the price, such is the united power of our compact!"

All assembled would receive a vision of the waters rising in the Calarians' chief settlement, flooding basements and cellars, ruining precious stores of food and wine. This flood would continue to rise, slowly, giving the inhabitants time to evacuate and the slaves penned up in the city ample time to break their bonds, fight, and escape. The ocean west would be strangely calm, as if inviting the ships in the pier to load up the people and possessions which can still be saved. Even then, it was clear that this respite would not last forever, as the streets would soon be knee-deep in water of all kinds, fresh, salt, and fouled by sewers. And they kept rising, slowing only long enough for the women and children among both the Calarian and slave population to be loaded on ships or escape further inland outside the settlement before surging anew, this time to chest-deep - Whatever happened now, the city would be unlivable for a long time.

Then it began to rain heavily, the cold shower causing the floods to further rise until even the main fortress of the colonizers was drowned undersea. Enough time had been given for the majority of noncombatants to be taken to safety, it was the Calarians' choice to make use of it. Whatever happened, their city, the beating heart of their efforts at conquest, had been destroyed and the Kartaran clans given a breathing space. Will they side with her and use it, or will they choose division and disunity and cast aside their respite? Either way...

"The Spirits have blessed us! Our power waxes as the Three Moons do! Send word to the Clans of our pact that our raids will have more force from now on!"

[Elysian Kentarchy]

Mélodie Beauvais

I can do nothing but grind my teeth and look intimidating while I try to find an opening in the coward that dares to point his blade. I can't let the princess come to harm no matter what but if I let them take her away she will undoubtedly come to harm.

Illania de Velira

I stare passionlessly at the dying man, how noble of him to expect goodness and nobility from my heart. Unfortunately I'm one of those who clings to our nobility so even if I despise the False Heroes I will still try to save her. "I apologize for not being a healing mage. Where is the Princess' quarters?" I ask and he gives me directions before expiring. Ironic... I expected to be fighting through this place as part of a conquering army years ago during the Siege, now I am fighting to save their princess.

I rotate my head and shoulders. Oh well, might as well die on my feet. And, with that last thought I rush out into the courtyard and, looking down, I notice a dropped sword so I reach down and grab it. "Through the Flame my passions take form and allow me to carry a blade into war against our enemies." I chant and the blade bursts into flames. With that I start to run according to the directions, slaying the occasional Faith Keeper who gets in my way. I reach the entrance where a pair of guards are dueling a pair of Faith Keepers and as I run towards them I raise a hand out "The light sent by Solaris guides me to burn away all who oppose me!" I chant and a pair of fireballs hit the Faith Keepers, instantly killing them. I then turn to the two soldiers who stare at me stunned. "Follow me, we have to save your princess right?" They snap out of it and quickly follow after me.

Entering into the halls of the palace we quickly crash into a group of Faith Keepers who are holding onto the princess and what looks like a bloodied woman facing them, I can't see her face due to her being blocked but going by what I can see of her clothes she must be a maid of some sorts. The situation is clearly a standoff and it looks like one of the Faith Keepers is threatening the Princess. They turn to me in shock but before they can react I raise my hand. "Through the Flame all those who oppose us meet their fate." I send three fireballs at them and they, and the maid, dodge out of the way, giving us an opening. "Grab your princess and run, I'll handle these ones!" I bark and they do so and by the sound of things, despite not seeing her, the maid follows along with them.

I just grin like the suicidal madwoman that I am and shout, "for His Majesty, beloved by all Achysians!" as I charge them, brandishing my flaming sword, they should not be difficult to dispatch, not for a de Velira.

Mélodie Beauvais

Hearing the witch's warcries I near grind my teeth as we run in the halls, carrying the princess between us, I pray to the Gods that when the Princess awakens she executes her. "For now we will find a room to barricade ourselves in and wait for either the fighting to end in our victory or the Princess to awaken. She will know what to do." I say to the other two as we run.

Rosaria Givri

My wyvern lands and his tail sweeps the field, knocking aside a few Achysian soldiers. I leap off of him and charge at the seated Achysian commander with my sword drawn. "I am Rosaria Givri, follower of Prince Ekatiz and I will have your head!"

Before I can get to him he quickly draws his sword and blocks my blow. "I am Solomon de Velira, heir to Lord Augustine de Velira, and you will have to try harder than that."

[Fereni]

Lucia hadn't actually followed Pynus into the tavern; it wouldn't do for an Archbishop of Virtue to even enter such a place, and if she were seen and recognized, there could be drastic consequences. Instead, she waited a short distance from the entrance, conversing with people nearby and keeping a wary eye out for anyone acting in a way that would necessitate her intervention. That sort of thing was no problem, of course; taverns and the like were hotbeds of activity that went against the Virtues, and the reason that she could not enter one was the same reason that her watchful eye might be required for those who were entering or leaving the establishment. So far, while she had seen a great deal of people who had clearly drunk to excess (which was more of her colleague, the Archbishop of Temperantia's area), none seemed to require her direct intervention... not yet, at least. She simply waited for Marina and their newest companion to finish their business; helping others was always a noble deed, so long as their task was not to sin, and truth be told, she did not like the idea of leaving Marina alone. She hoped, still, that she could help draw the young sailor towards a better path; the girl clearly looked up to her, after being rescued from her watery grave, and so if anyone had a chance, she did. She only hoped that it was truly possible to bring the girl fully into the light.

Marina, on the other hand, was having a delightful time. Admittedly, she was letting her eyes wander a little and not paying full attention, but hey, if some of the women in the place were gorgeous, well... Lucia would definitely scold her for that, having lust in her heart or whatever, but she really didn't give a damn. Nothing wrong with enjoying life, as far as she was concerned. Still... she couldn't say she wasn't somewhat annoyed by the words of the woman sitting at the table. "Hey, don't brush us off so easily, lady!" she said with a scowl, her accent thickening somewhat. "You don't even know what all we can do, credentials be damned! But hey, if you really want to turn us away, 's your loss, ain't it? An' you'll never get to know what you might've had on your side, but who cares about that, right? Not you, sure!"

---

Nysa didn't truly understand what was happening. It was all too fast--but she knew who these people were. Them. The same people Illari had taken her away from, the same people who hurt her over and over again, and she started to cry in fear. "No," she whimpered. "No more hurt. Don't... hurt me... don't hurt Illari..." Her hands were shaking, and she felt strange, like something was burning inside her. Why? What was happening to her? She didn't understand, and she was scared, and she didn't feel safe at all. She just wanted to feel safe again...

---

Alina was... very confused, to be certain, by this woman, but it started to dawn on her as Adelajda continued to speak, talking of the war, of her husband and sons being away to fight in it. Although she didn't fully understand what was going on, still, it was obvious enough that the woman's mind was stuck in the past... she'd heard of such things, but had never actually been put in a position to deal with it, and she had no idea what to do. Should she play along, or...? But she was never a good liar, so in the end, she decided to tell the truth.

First, though, she turned to the flowers. "I'm happy to help," she said, and meant it. The flowers were very well taken care of, but one woman in a garden like this certainly couldn't be expected to be on top of everything, and sure enough, the orange flowers were clearly not happy, particularly as there were some weeds tangled up in them. "Don't worry," she said softly, briefly forgetting again that the other woman was still there and might find her speaking to the flowers strange. "I'll help you... there, doesn't that feel much better?" She laughed, a little, as she could hear them thank her, and said, "You're welcome. You look much happier now..."

Adelajda continued speaking, which drew Alina out of her brief reverie--she felt a little bit embarrassed, knowing that some would find her behavior odd. Her father--no, not her father, but that man would have certainly scolded her for being so absurd as to talk to plants like they could respond, even though they could, she heard them clear as a bell. It wasn't her fault that no one else could hear them, that others didn't have her unique form of magic.

And when Adelajda called her a charming young lady, she flushed red with still more embarrassment, and no small amount of shame. You wouldn't say that, she thought sadly, if you knew the truth. Still, it was the kind of praise that she'd always sought out before, yet never heard, and to hear it now... it was bitterly ironic. "Thank you," she said quietly. But that last question... This woman was Rafal's mother, the person who would undoubtedly want the best for him more than anyone else. The idea of presenting herself as Rafal's fiancee was terrifying. What if she disapproved? But she couldn't lie. She certainly couldn't lie.

"Lady Baroness Adelajda," she finally said, trying desperately to keep her voice steady but knowing it was shaking nonetheless. Her hands were shaking, too, but she disguised it by dipping into a deep curtsy. "The truth is, I am here because... I am engaged to your son, Rafal. I understand that this is unexpected, but... I will do my best to be a good wife to him, and am fully aware of all that that entails. Although I am not a member of the nobility, I... I still hope that you can find me acceptable as his future wife." She kept her head lowered even after she finished, afraid to meet the woman's eyes. Please...

---

Meta had, of course, come the absolute moment she'd been summoned, expecting a request of some kind, some task to complete, or even, perhaps, simply just because he wanted to see her... that was the kind of thing she had certainly hoped for, all this time.

Some might have found his appearance disturbing, especially combined with the cold white background of the snow, but she found herself mesmerized by it. He looked almost like some sort of spirit, appearing out of the snow and ice, a magical being who had summoned her here... it was, in her mind, an extremely romantic sort of setting, with the absolute silence and stillness of the world around them, just the two of them awake and moving in a landscape of pure, empty white.

So it came as nothing short of a horrible shock to her, when she heard what he had said.

"What?" The word slipped out of her mouth before it had even fully crossed her mind. "What are you talking about?" Was this--did he really--

What did you expect? The icy touch at her throat and in her chest was all too familiar. Did you actually think he could love you? He used you, and now you have no further use, so you're being thrown away. I told you, didn't I? But you just wouldn't listen.

No. No. She covered her ears, and the cold soaking through her dress brought her to realize that she'd fallen to her knees. This wasn't happening. This couldn't possibly be happening. She had been so happy, so happy that for once, the idea of sleep had left her mind. And now--that was being taken away from her? He was being taken away from her?

It felt, for one long moment, like the entire world turned to nothing but static in her ears.

"Wait," she whispered, tipping her head back. There was something warm and wet on her face, and yet... she couldn't cry. She had never been able to cry. Without any eyes at all, much less tear ducts, it was impossible for her to cry, so then... why... "This feels..." Familiar. "We've done this before, haven't we?" Her hands were shaking. "I've... I've already..." The memory hit her again, a sharp pain in her stomach, in where her eyes should have been, and she pressed her hands into her stomach desperately, hunched over and gasping for air, watching in confused horror as drops of blood fell onto the snow beneath her.

Yes. That was what she was feeling. That feeling that was so very familiar. "I've already lost you," she choked out, understanding in one horrible moment that it had happened before, even if she couldn't fully remember--it had happened before, and it was happening again, and she was powerless to stop it--

Except she wasn't. She wasn't. Not this time.

When it came to his words, there was only one word that she could think of with which to respond, and she looked back up at him, blood still streaming down her face, her hands now clutching at the vial hanging from her neck.

"No."

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Varakhian Sea
Anselmian Southern Fleet
The Sea Gorrila's Ship

"Captain, Calarian ships sighted in the southeast! Current heading is northwest!"

A wicked smirk spread across Anders' scarred face at these news. He was an older Captain, in his 40s by now and anything but attractive, boasting what many would interpret as a lot of fat as well as a lot of hair virtually everywhere, making him look like an ape at times. It was also what he had gotten his alias from, his nickname as the "Sea Gorilla"...a not particularly charming nickname but he had embraced it long ago.

He swore he could feel the skin on his face creak as his scars shifted to accommodate the smirk he was now displaying. They were a constant reminder of his own, youthful arrogance and innocence, when he had let his guard down before a young Vodnik babe which had promptly jumped into his face, clawing and scratching at him untill his fellow comrades had managed to peel it off. He hadn't shown mercy or weakness ever since then. Keeping his smirk up, he asked a skeletal old man with a sickly coloured skin and clad in tattered brown robes littered with patches and stains of saltwater, who was standing right behind him:

"Master Weddell, prepare your spells. I'm going to guess the Admiral is going to order us forward soon and the battle will be joined in..."

He looked out towards the horizon, already being able to see the Calarian sails himself.

"...I'd say two hours if we both proceed to go at this speed."

The sickly old man jerked his head up upon hearing his name, a pair of eyes nervously looking at Anders as skeletal fingers wrung each other. A weak, floaty voice lisped:

"Yeff...yeff, fe fpellf...uhm...Captain, do you fink I could perhapf not partifipate in fis engagement? I do not feel fo well..."

Anders raised his brow. He had figured that he'd catch that little swindler Weddell between a rock and a hard place here. He was 99% certain that the old man was nothing but a swindler who made his living with some cheap tricks. But he was not fully sure. Weddell did have some knowledge that appeared to be genuine and he couldn't explain to himself how one could look as sick as Weddell without some serious magical fuckery involved. But still, this refusal to participate in the battle gave much more weight to Anders' suspicions and-

Weddell's hands suddenly shot up to his mouth and with a retching sound the old man suddenly hurried to the side of the ship, quickly hauling his head over the railing and...okay, yeah, perhaps there was actually something to Weddell's request to not participate in that battle beyond fearing his hoax to be uncovered. With a sigh Anders waved Weddell off, grumbling:

"Alright, get down and get some shut-eye. But I'll have you up here once battle is joined so you can act in our support. Yer to important to be missing during this."

Weddell inclined his head in thanks before quickly getting off the deck while Anders watched for signals from the flagship, a majestic cog atleast twice the size of his own. It didn't take long for the flagship to lower its Anselmian flag, keeping its flagship flag up and then raising a few new flags, denoting the formation the fleet was supposed to take. It cause Anders to huff a little. Looked like they still weren't willing to openly go to war with those Calarian faggots, sitting on all that shiny loot, on everything a good Anselmian man with some proper business sense and ruthlessness could use to be set for life. Not that he thought lowering the flag was going to do them any good, considering what loomed above them...

A shadow fell onto Anders' ship, him not having given the orders from the Admiral to his crew yet and his ship thus having fallen behind the other ships already. Looking up, Anders shivered slightly at the sight, seeing a massive amount of rock floating in the air far above him. From where he stood, he couldn't even make out the battlements that he knew adorned it near its top. A flying fortress like this one was a signature thing of Anselm and its presence would easily tell anyone with eyes in their head who they were, even if they flew no flags. With a sigh he roared commands at his crew, ordering them to pick up speed and assume formation with the rest of the fleet. These damned Calarians weren't going to get away!

---

A horrible crash rocked the cog as it collided with a Calarian galley, the deadly naval ram of the galley luckily hitting at a poor angle and scraping alongside the cog with a deafening sound. Anders had ordered everyone to hold on to something but still the collision threw several men of their feet, giving the Calarian galley some valuable time...time not spent well as the ships started scraping alongside each other, Anders hearing the all too familiar sound of countless pieces of wood breaking. Yes, his cog was just cutting off all their oars on one side. He sure hoped they had spares else they'd be dead in the water soon enough but for now he had different priorities as he roared at the soldiers in the forward bastion:

"The hell are you waiting for?!? Keep firing! I want these Calarians to look like pincushions!"

Compared to the Calarian galleys, the Anselmian cogs were of a rather tall build, leading to them often towering over the flatter galleys, a fact that greatly aided the archers situated in the frontal and back bastions of the cogs, allowing them good oversight of their Calarian targets and some good cover.

A sudden burst of flame from the Calarian vessel wiped Anders' grin straight off his face. It was as though he was watching some form of fire spewing monster, spewing forth an endless stream of flame over the railing of his vessel and straight into his sails, setting them on fire. And he had no doubts that there was no way to save these sails, not the way they burned. Damned. He'd be just as dead in the water if not more than the galley was.

No.

He wouldn't let that happen! He wouldn't get knocked out by some crappy little Calarian boat! Not like this!

With a scream of impotent rage he wildly gestured at the soldiers on his deck, many of which had hit it with the stomach once the flames started spewing. Normally cogs like his had a marvelously small crew, setting them apart from the crew intensive galleys of the Calarians. However, as this cog was used for military operations, he carried a complement of soldiers with him, most of them regularly employed mercenaries who specialized in serving on ships.

"What in the Sins' names are you doing you incompetent flounders! Get the fuck up and take these fuckers out so we aren't stuck on a burning ship!"

Luckily the stream of flames ended for Anders wasn't sure if any of the soldiers would've gotten up if chances were they'd get scorched just from raising their heads a little bit too high. Now however...well, atleast a dozen or so men with long knives, axes and the like, lightly armoured, jumped up and quickly headed for the railings, gouging the distance for but a moment before making the jump onto the lower galley. Atleast three of them were shot dead by Calarian arrows in that short time they were up there at the railings but the rest managed to vault over it and jump onto the galley, one unfortunate guy breaking his ankle upon landing though. Before a second wave could jump however, another stream of flame engulfed the railings, setting several of the men alight who proceeded to flail wildly and run across the deck before finally just jumping over the railing on the opposite site to meet the cool embrace of the sea.

The Anselmian archers tried their best to give their comrades fire support, arrows and bolts continuing to hit in the ranks of the Calarians with the precision of those shooting from an superior position and at a short distance but despite the mercenaries fighting like lions and butchering quite a few Calarian archers who didn't manage to draw their swords in time, Calarian troops quickly overwhelmed them, causing Anders to grind his teeth in anger.

"The Calarians are getting further away! They've got oars again!"

Anders cursed under his breath. Yes, as was expected. They still got an entire side of absolutely fine oars. By splitting their remaining oars, they could continue to row and come back around for a ram. And it didn't matter how fast they were because this time his cog was dead in the water, robbed of its only way to propel itself forward. Anders had no illusions about his crew's ability to quickly attack the reserve sails.

It was at this point when he suddenly noticed a figure in a tattered brown cloak making it back on deck, swaying slightly from one side to the other...fucking Weddell. Anders was about to go to him and toss him overboard when the mage suddenly raised his arms, an odd, blackened, slimy smoke engulfing him. Several of the soldiers and sailors standing near him started coughing and retching uncontrollably but Weddell, who was fully submerged in the oily clouds of smoke, didn't seem to notice or care. And then suddenly the cloud rushed forward, away from Weddell, across the railing and down to where the Calarian ship was trying to get away from the Anselmian ship. Before long the retching and coughing, cries of torment and death came from below them, without a doubt from the galley. However, when Anders looked over the railing to check on what was happening, it appeared that the Calarian mage had already dispelled the smoke. A shame, he'd have loved for them to choke to death on whatever black shit Weddell had found.

He watched the Calarian soldiers assume formations again, picking up their arms once more while a robed man in their midst seemed to arbitrarily wave his hands through the air and shout something Anders didn't understand. He figured that it had to be the mage. If it had been the captain or some other commander, he'd have understood atleast something.

A bolt of lightning formed between the enemy mage's fingers, quickly growing in size and changing in shape to a ball before the mage seemed to toss it from himself up towards Weddell who stood at the railing, unmoving, unflinching, watching the projectile come towards him. With a curse on his lips Anders decided to postpone throwing Weddell over board, seeing how so far the fake mage had been the only one capable of doing anything to that Calarian spellcaster, instead rushing over towards Weddell at full speed and colliding with the thin, skeletal man, forcing him onto the ground and onto his mounds of fat.

Just in time too for the lightning projectile whizzed just over them, Anders feeling the hairs on his back curl up at its passing.

"Captain Lakis, as much as I appreciate your newfound concern for my safety, I assure you that I am fully capable of handling this."

, a muffled voice mumbled from below him, the fake mage clearly not too happy with his current position. Not that Anders cared, grunting merely:

"Suuuuuuuure Weddell, sure. Your trick was nice and all but that's a Calarian mage. They normally don't tend to cut costs when it comes to staff so that fucker's prolly a learned mage and very capable of messing us up quite badly."

Still, Anders got off Weddell, rolling himself to the side and panting hard. A fat man like him wasn't supposed to move this quickly really. Especcially not at his age but hell, if Weddell had another trick like this one up his sleeve then it'd be best if he stayed alive. Speaking of Weddell...the guy looked pretty mangled from having been tackled and all that but otherwise he looked as terrible as ever. His hood had fallen down, revealing just how skinny he was, his bones clearly visible behind the skin while his deeply embedded eyes gleamed from their dark pits. Just a few strands of hair were left on his skull and it looked like Weddell had tried to downplay is overall lack of hair density by letting the hair he actually had grow longer...not that it really looked any better.

Weddell quickly got onto his knees and dusted himself off before pulling what looked like a glove made from a strangely shiny material out of his cloak and putting it on his hand. Standing up, he pointed the glove at the air where Anders could already see the damned lightning ball coming back around to them and heading straight for Weddell. He honestly regretted having saved that lying coward at this point as he was quite sure he wouldn't be moving away in time to survive that thing...but to his great surprise the lightning ball hit the odd glove of Weddell and...and just disappeared. As though it had never existed in the first place Weddell seemed to twitch for a moment and shook his hand afterwards but otherwise he seemed to be fine.

"You see Captain, I absolutely have things under control..."

Anders just stared at Weddell with his mouth wide agape as the mage pulled off the glove and stuck it back into his cloak before getting back to the railing and looking down at the Calarians. Menacingly. Atleast Anders hoped that's what he did because otherwise his standing there was rather ridiculous. Oh who was he kidding, it was ridiculous either way! Why did he have to get paired up with a suicidal mage of all discount mages they could have assigned to him?!?

After some time had passed and Weddell still wasn't dead, Anders began to wonder. What the hell was up with the Calarians all of a sudden? It was then that Weddell turned around and looked at all of them with mild bewilderment, asking:

"Why are you all hiding?"

As if what they were doing was the strangest thing in the world! Several of the soldiers shook their heads at Weddell but a few were encouraged by these simple words and raised their heads over the railing. Gasps rang out and shoulders were tugged at and soon practically the entire crew was looking down at the Calarian vessel, their whispering turning into a constant buzz that really didn't help Anders' attempt to sleep himself to death on his surprisingly cozy deck. So with a groan he eventually got up and slowly walked over to the railing to see what was up.

The Calarian vessel didn't move. Nor did anyone on it. There were mounds of corpses all over it. Anders had an inkling why, seeing how it looked like the rowers had revolted or something. Perhaps the soldiers had decided to stick around and burn them instead of going for the safer ramming maneuver? If a group of people strongly believed another group's opinion would cause their immediate death, he could see it happening. Still, it was quite odd. He turned to Weddell and asked:

"Say, Weddell, did you see what happened?"

The fucking grin on Weddell's face belied his statement as he replied:

"Not at all, Captain."

It really was quite odd that both sides seemed to have wiped each other out completely...Anders wasn't sure why that was but he sent some men down onto the galley to see if there was anything of worth to recover or any survivors to question. Meanwhile his sailors went about applying new sails. However, even the soldiers, while able to recover some things of worth, reported that there was no soul left alive on that boat. They were all dead, killed by either arrow, blade or magic.

Meanwhile the flying fortress continued to loom above the battle, not participating. Calarian missiles occasionally flew its way but few reached it and none managed to make a dent in its defenses. It sat there like a fat spider in a web, watching the prey it caught slowly tire in its net.

---

Anselm
Rural Countryside
"Freemen's Drink" Tavern

Adelheid quickly raised her hands, her palms turned downward, lowering and raising them in a calming manner. She knew that she could ill afford to turn them away. The Unsterbs were dangerous and the Fen even more so so she would find few who would dare to assist her. Still, she was wary. The girl looked like yet another sailor, perhaps a pirate of this Pynus' crew? Certainly possible which might raise their number in case they planned some form of treason.

Still, with an apologetic frown she said:

"My apologies if it seemed like I was not valuing your skills and abilities. I am somewhat aware of them and from what I heard, yours, Lady Pynus, must be extraordinary. However, please understand that I am mostly concerned about who you intend to practice these skills and abilities on. This is a wicked land and people here often have...unsavoury ideas of how to earn their daily bread. I hope you can understand my wariness towards a known outlaw such as yourself.

As for you young woman, you appear to not have been introduced. Are you perhaps a pirate such as Lady Pynus here? You certainly seem to know her well enough already to jump to her defense. Can I perhaps order anything for you as well?"

It was at this point in time that the young waiter returned, holding two mugs filled to the brim with milk which he carefully set on the table after Adelheid had pointed at Daniel and Leon, setting it right before them. He turned away to the side just to reveal the innkeeper, a fat, sweating man who rolled a barrel towards the table. He didn't seem to need directions, guessing quite rightly that it was destined for Yakr, rolling it right before him before straightening, wiping some sweat from his forehead with his sleeve before bowing in Adelheid's direction and almost leaving again if Adelheid's raised finger hadn't kept him there, the noble inquisitively staring at Marina.

[Dragos Bee]

Kyle Perrin-Palaiologos, Arghyo, with NPCs in Anselm

Honeystead Abbey was an obscure monastery near the Arghyo border which raised honeybees, producing good-quality honey as the calling of its monks. It was content to languish in obscurity, turning away from the increasing corruption of the cities and the near countryside, until a mysterious hooded merchant came one bright day and asked to taste the honey the monks made, for a fair price, of course. They had indulged him, and the merchant asked them questions about their lives and hardships, never judging their choices. Then he bought several jars of their product, and they thought it was the end of that.

Then when the rains came, they received a practical donation - Wood, brick, and mortar to repair their roofs. When one of them got sick, a 'mysterious patron' donated a box of quality medicines. And all the while, more customers headed for their monastery, not just to buy honey, but also for spiritual solace, preferring the more humble and sincere environs to the more lavish chantries deeper in Anselm.

The mysterious merchant arrived again, this time accompanied by a young man of about seventeen summers, and two children of eleven years of age (and armed guards to deter anyone who saw them as an easy mark). This time, he wore no hood, and introduced himself as Deuel Palaiologos, of Argyho, and his children as Kyle, Daniel, and Leon. His reason for coming to the monastery was to find people who stayed true to the Faith, and who shunned the corruption of wealth even when it was brought before them. And thus, he came to make a just deal, one fair in ways that the Anselmians would balk at.

And by that, he was going to buy their products at reasonable prices, pay for their protection from bandits, and even build them a new fence for their beehives, one that can withstand even bears. In exchange, all he wanted was for them to serve the people which needed them, to go amongst the nearby towns and villages, healing the sick, providing aid in food and drink, while also teaching men, women, and children to read even as they paid off those who saw it as 'laziness' and 'cutting into their profits'.

The Abbot of the monastery had spoken to Deuel, "Is that really what you want? Or are you seeking more profit for yourself?"

In response, the merchant said, "If the common folk better their lives, everyone profits, including those who bettered their lives. I am not entirely selfless, but it seems to me that a world in which few resent one another is more livable in general."

Satisfied by the answer, the Abbot and Deuel became friends, a friendship which lasted after Deuel's death and Kyle's inheritance of the Palaiologos Merchant Family's holdings. And when a raven from Kyle reached Honeystead Abbey's aviary, The Abbot knew that the moment of truth had come when he and his fellow 'lower clergy', which had a relationship of mutual benefit with the Palaiologoi and Arghyo, were going to be tested in their waning allegiance to the League of Anselm.

The Hour has come, and The Day too.

The Abbot, and two of his closest brothers-in-spirit, went down to the depths of the monastery, to where the renovated cellars held both honey and mead. Then they opened a hidden door which led to a much larger room, ostensibly part of the cellars but much warmer and drier. In it were swords and shields and armor, polearms and crossbows and sacks of bolts for the latter. Smuggled into the this room throughout many shipments over the years, starting from Deuel's death, these were the tools of liberation for the slaves oppressed by the Anselm League.

And it was time to ensure these weapons arrived at the hands of those who would use them...

[Faal Lot Himdah]

Pynus of the Wind
The Freeman's Drink Tavern, Anselm

---

"Well, it seems my reputation precedes me." Pynus chuckled as Daniel seemingly nearly fanboyed, but before she could say anything, Adelheid spoke. She made it clear her feelings about Pynus' past.

And then Marina spoke up, her annoyance clear. But before Marina could answer her, Pynus spoke up.

"She's a friend. Adorable and mysterious." Pynus smirked at Marina before taking a drink from her tankard and turning her attention back to Adelheid, "Allow me the opportunity to speak for myself. What you know of me is not from me. Its from what other people think of me. My credentials as you put it, are gossip at the end of the day."

She shrugged, "Albeit, gossip with some truth. Yes, I was a pirate. Yes, I technically have a magic wood sword. I do not deny that. But, what do you know of why I am a pirate?"

"You seem to assume it is because of greed and a thirst for violence." Pynus continued with a hint of anger before taking another drink, "Both of which I personally despise."

"No, I took to the seas because why not." Pynus started circling the table, "I was surrounded by it all my life, and I had a passion to explore. Now, I could have done so by becoming a normal sailor, perhaps sail on a merchant vessel. But I joined a pirate crew. Why?"

"Because that was the first crew I could get into. Not to meantion, I probably wouldn't be as skilled with a blade, magic or my partner here..." She stopped and motioned to the Blade of A Thousand Splint’ Ars, "In fact, I wouldn't have found her. As it took being marooned on an island because I did not agree with a mutineering bastard who took over the ship."

"But anyways, yes, I was a pirate. Not because I sought violence, or let greed consume me, but because that was the way the wind blew me." Pynus had stopped her circling and leaned against rail of the terrace, "And if you don't believe me, and think my story is nothing but a well fabricated lie... then maybe she could vouch for me."

With that Pynus pointed over her shoulder at Lucia, the Archbishop of Chastity, standing near the entrance to the tavern.

"Perhaps you recognize her." Pynus ended with a smile before taking another drink.

---

The Mountain Crusher, Yakr Rugma
The Freeman's Drink Tavern, Anselm

---

"Uhhhh...." Yakr was struggling with the speed at which one of the young humans, Daniel if he was right, had began bombarding him with questions, "Yakr is... What words... Oh, half-karaki, half-giant. Yes. That is what Yakr is beyond Yakr. Yakr is from steppes, but been long time since in steppes. Yakr likes the wander."

With that he paused and then continued as Adelheid's conversation with the other arrivals continued.

"Spirits... Yakr would like... ummm..." Yakr sat there trying to think of the word for a moment before continueing, "Explain. Explain question about spirits."

As he waited, the barrel that Adelheid ordered for him was brought out. He picked it up, and smiled at the waiter with a smile that was maybe a little uncomfortable for the waiter, but Yakr didn't notice.

---

The Forgotten Prince, Az'goxaak
The Meeting with Estelle

---

"The name is Az. As for the girl you are looking for... Well, lets see..." Az said as he looked over Estelle and then pointed to her feet, "You are standing in her, all 160ish centimetres of you. Well, more specifically her ashes that remain here and weren't picked up by the wind."

Of course, that was a lie.

"As you said, you can never know what lurks in this night. That poor thing ran into probably one of the worst things she could have." Az said as he stood up, "A Prince of Hell. He burnt her and the man protecting her to ash... and by the way she burned, well, she was no angel."

He then turned around, and looked up to the sky.

"I would suggest that you turn around and return to whatever master you serve." Az said and looked back to Estelle, "Can never be too sure if or when that Prince will return. That's how you can help me. Go back to where you came from."

[Dragos Bee]

Daniel and Leon Perrin-Palaiologos, Anselm

"Our older brother administers the family business and gives us an allowance for 'adventuring expenses'," Daniel responded to Adelheld as he boiled his' and Leon's milk with two words.

"And no, he's not trying to get us killed," Leon added, "If anything, he has a similar quest to yours', to prevent the realms from falling apart due to crime and chaos. He's an idealist trying to fight back the tide of corruption flooding the land and I think you'll like him if you two ever meet."

Then in response to Yakr's request for a clarification, Daniel said, "Oh, basically, I heard that your people worship Spirits instead of the same Gods the other kingdoms do. Spirits of ancestors, spirits of land and sky, fire and wilds. If so, I have to ask, how do you worship, how do you pray?"

Leon decided to intrude, "Daniel, please be careful not to ask too much or too deeply. We don't want to accidentally offend our guest." Then he turned to both the Orc and Pynus, "So, you both like wandering? That's reasonable - I myself don't know if I should settle down once I am older, although I'd definitely persuade my brother to do so once he finds a partner of either gender. Speaking of partners, by the way..."

He approached the Archbishop of Chastity and bowed deeply before her, saying, "Although I and my brother are inclined towards worldly pleasure and talk of worldly pleasure, we are honored by your presence here and wish to give you the respect you are due for as long as you are part of our adventuring party. We hope that your aid will allow us to bring order to at least this small corner of the continent."

A smile before he went back to where Adelheld was, and said, "All right, it seems that most questions have been explained. May we have our briefing on what exactly our mission is?"

[Dragos Bee]

Double-Post: Kyle Perrin-Palaiologos, Arghyo, with NPCs in Anselm

Heydekrug City

In the city, gangs of street kids were a common source of (potentially exaggerated) information, with six 'patrons' paying them large sums of money at any given time. But few street kids were as loyal to their patron as Filippo de Heyderkrug, and that was important when said patron was Kyle Perrin-Palaiologos. The latter had gone to Heyderkrug three years ago, just after the death of his father, and on the way to a business deal, literally bumped into Filippo as the latter was being chased by constables. Upon seeing the genuine distress in that kid's eyes, Kyle had bribed the guards to 'forget about things', and then invited Filippo for lunch with him in the parish church they were staying, one ran by a lower clergyman Kyle was giving 'donations' to. The two had talked about their lives in Heyderkrug and Arghyo, and Kyle had seen intelligence and ambition in the boy which had impressed him.

The two had kept in touch since then, with Kyle instructing the local parish priest to teach Filippo his letters and basic sums while also keeping him and his growing gang of street kids fed. In exchange, Filippo's gang would provide his network with as truthful information as possible, along with minor smuggling services. But what sealed the deal was Kyle agreeing to trade mundane medicine and healing potions to Filippo, a good more valuable than just gold. Now, Filippo de Heyderkrug, now 16, was leading the largest street gang in Heyderkrug, with eyes and ears among the great and small of the city. From his lair, an abandoned guildhouse refursbished into a home and fortress for children, Filippo enjoyed wealth, knowledge, and security which were rare for any child to have on his own.

Which was why when a girl arrived with one of Kyle's Ravens, the young man knew that The Day and The Hour had indeed come.

Getting up from his leather-covered chair, Filippo read the message attached to the Raven, then said to the girl, "Send a message to every gang with us, Flora - Tell them The Boss wants them to tell our usual clients that all rumors of a planned slave revolt in the countryside within the next few months are horseshit. And by horseshit, I mean completely made up. Add that the countryside is fine. Laugh at all rumors of mysterious adventurers and outlaws attacking bandits and slavers and priests and monks and nuns providing shelter to escaped slaves or buying their freedom in this very city. In fact, any member of our network telling the rich guys on top that those people exist are to be chased into the sewers with dogs, got it?"

Flora nodded, the tan-skinned girl moving out to inform the other gang members, even as Filippo reviewed the escape routes of the repaired guildhouse, then glanced at Kyle's message once more.

Pull the wool over their eyes as long as you can - Then escape.

For that merchant, Filippo will do anything.

[Fereni]

Anselm
Rural Countryside
"Freemen's Drink" Tavern

Adelheid quickly raised her hands, her palms turned downward, lowering and raising them in a calming manner. She knew that she could ill afford to turn them away. The Unsterbs were dangerous and the Fen even more so so she would find few who would dare to assist her. Still, she was wary. The girl looked like yet another sailor, perhaps a pirate of this Pynus' crew? Certainly possible which might raise their number in case they planned some form of treason.

Still, with an apologetic frown she said:

"My apologies if it seemed like I was not valuing your skills and abilities. I am somewhat aware of them and from what I heard, yours, Lady Pynus, must be extraordinary. However, please understand that I am mostly concerned about who you intend to practice these skills and abilities on. This is a wicked land and people here often have...unsavoury ideas of how to earn their daily bread. I hope you can understand my wariness towards a known outlaw such as yourself.

As for you young woman, you appear to not have been introduced. Are you perhaps a pirate such as Lady Pynus here? You certainly seem to know her well enough already to jump to her defense. Can I perhaps order anything for you as well?"

It was at this point in time that the young waiter returned, holding two mugs filled to the brim with milk which he carefully set on the table after Adelheid had pointed at Daniel and Leon, setting it right before them. He turned away to the side just to reveal the innkeeper, a fat, sweating man who rolled a barrel towards the table. He didn't seem to need directions, guessing quite rightly that it was destined for Yakr, rolling it right before him before straightening, wiping some sweat from his forehead with his sleeve before bowing in Adelheid's direction and almost leaving again if Adelheid's raised finger hadn't kept him there, the noble inquisitively staring at Marina.

Pynus of the Wind
The Freeman's Drink Tavern, Anselm

---

And then Marina spoke up, her annoyance clear. But before Marina could answer her, Pynus spoke up.

"She's a friend. Adorable and mysterious." Pynus smirked at Marina before taking a drink from her tankard and turning her attention back to Adelheid, "Allow me the opportunity to speak for myself. What you know of me is not from me. Its from what other people think of me. My credentials as you put it, are gossip at the end of the day."

Friend? Marina felt vaguely offended. Adorable and mysterious, that was fine, but 'friend'... less so.

"Nah, I'm no pirate," she declared, folding her arms. "Just an honest sailor trying to have some fun in life. Nothin' wrong with that, right? Name's Marina, and beer will do me just fine, thanks. I don't feel like getting too drunk right now, since we're havin' such a nice chat." Can I even get drunk anymore? Could be interestin' to find out, but not now.

Daniel and Leon Perrin-Palaiologos, AnselmHe approached the Archbishop of Chastity and bowed deeply before her, saying, "Although I and my brother are inclined towards worldly pleasure and talk of worldly pleasure, we are honored by your presence here and wish to give you the respect you are due for as long as you are part of our adventuring party. We hope that your aid will allow us to bring order to at least this small corner of the continent."

Lucia looked at him without much expression at first, before her face softened into a smile. "That is what I hope as well." She neglected to reply to his first words, as she could not think of a response that did not showcase her natural disdain towards the idea. Perhaps my presence can be of aid to their souls, as well.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Anselm
Rural Countryside
"Freemen's Drink" Tavern

Adelheid sighed at the two brothers, the exciteable youth already very much distracted with other things such as Yakr...who was indeed quite the interesting specimen. If she had to guess she'd have to say he was either a cursed Karaki or some half breed with a giant, both of which sounded intriguing and like the stuff legends and stories were made from. She decided to categorize that as a good omen. She smiled after the two young boys, saying:

"Well then, it seems you are really invested in this adventuring business. Just be careful. As for your brother, you never know, perhaps I do even know him. There are more than enough important and not so important people I've had the pleasure and displeasure of treating with so perhaps I did treat with him too."

She then looked at Marina and Pynus, weighing the options before her. A friend, hu? Not a pirate but a simple sailor...well, the girl did sound simple and down to earth...or down to water in that case, enough for this story to hold...water. For a moment Adelheid wondered why her mind was being like this all of us a sudden before blaming it on anxiety. She had never done something like this directly, gone on an adventure as some would call it. Regardless, this Marina seemed simplistic enough not to hide anything. It was Pynus she'd have to be worried about for Pynus seemed like the kind of person to be able to talk her way into or out of a great deal of situations and-

Pynus pointed behind her, the two lads already having scampered past her and pestering a woman who was hanging in the back. The patrons did not recognize her, how could they afterall...but Adelheid...for the first time in well over a decade she was completely slack-jawed, her jaw dropping nearly as far down as the table would permit as her eyes widened to the point one would fear they'd explode. Her breath caught in Adelheid's throat and before long she was suddenly having to grip her throat and retching, it bringing her out of the trance that the mere sight of Lucia had put her in as she, still retching and gripping her throat, immediately slid of her chair and onto one of her knees before the archbishop, lowering her head and spitting out:

*cough* "Your holiness!" *cough* "I don't understand?" *cough* "What are you doing here?"

When she raised her head again, her eyes were slightly glazed over, as though she was still in some form of daze as she simply stared at Lucia with a smile on her face, flat out ignoring Leon's question.

[Fereni]

Anselm
Rural Countryside
"Freemen's Drink" TavernPynus pointed behind her, the two lads already having scampered past her and pestering a woman who was hanging in the back. The patrons did not recognize her, how could they afterall...but Adelheid...for the first time in well over a decade she was completely slack-jawed, her jaw dropping nearly as far down as the table would permit as her eyes widened to the point one would fear they'd explode. Her breath caught in Adelheid's throat and before long she was suddenly having to grip her throat and retching, it bringing her out of the trance that the mere sight of Lucia had put her in as she, still retching and gripping her throat, immediately slid of her chair and onto one of her knees before the archbishop, lowering her head and spitting out:

*cough* "Your holiness!" *cough* "I don't understand?" *cough* "What are you doing here?"

When she raised her head again, her eyes were slightly glazed over, as though she was still in some form of daze as she simply stared at Lucia with a smile on her face, flat out ignoring Leon's question.

Lucia looked down in slight confusion, not expecting such a response. "There is no need to kneel," she said calmly. "As for my reasons for being here, Marina is currently under my care, and this quest of yours seems to be a possibility to do some good. Furthermore, there are a few people that I am searching for, some of whom might gravitate to areas such as the one you will be attempting to enter. However, I am afraid that I cannot specify who those people are. Does that answer your question well enough?"

[Tracian Empire]

Kingdom of Duivene
Citadel of Chovers
The Two Towers

Inside the Tower of Augurs

32nd Floor, Rooms of the Steward
A mage of crimson judgement

"Oh?", the Faith Keeper answered, a smirk appearing on his face, even as the maid and the other servants started slowly walking backwards. "That's sort of surprising, considering that the Steward has left and that I didn't see him giving any orders before departing.., he continued, gently opening the decorated book in his hands. Before he was able to react however, in a quick succession of events, one of the servants conjured thick, black smoke that obscured his view, and by the time he had muttered a word, causing a gale of wind to blow it away, a more complex spell had been chanted - creating multiple illusions of them as they were running. A pretty well conceived plan, that would have left an inferior ranking member of the Faith's Judgement struggling to react. Unfortunately for the servants however, the one before them was not just a random Punitor or Avower. Quickly looking into his mysterious book, the man quickly let out a quick chant. "Lady of light, pay no heed to their cries, let your rays of truth break right through their lies!" The golden cover of what clearly was some sort of a grimoire started to glow, illuminating the entire hallway and the stairwell that was the target of the servants, and the illusions that the mage among them had created dissipated into smoke and steam. Now of course, the running servants still had a distance advantage, so another this time muttered charm created a very small chain appeared in his hand, connected to an even smaller silver handcuff on one of the maid's wrists. Barely a second after this happened, the chain had already been extended to its maximum length and the tension basically threw the maid right back and on the floor.

Even if the other servants would have stopped and turned around to try to help her, it would have been too late. The chain and the handcuff dissipated into a silvery smoke, but before the maid was able to fully realize what had happened, the Faith Keeper was already near her. With his grimoire now floating in mid-air next to him, he grabbed her by the neck, careful not to put any pressure, and pushed her against the wall, while unsheathing his estoc and pointing the tip of its blade at her throat.

"Now now, let us not be hasty.", he told her in the same soft voice he always had. "What were you actually doing here?"

A room, the 45th floor, the Princess' Chambers
A warrior and a mage of Judgment

The disappearance of the shields around the two Faith Keepers allowed the last minor cook to counter attack, but the Faith Keeper still barely managed to parry his strike, the blade only cutting part of his cheek, breaking through the crimson veil that had been covering his face thus far. This clearly managed to prove to the two Faith Keepers that despite the theoretical difference in strength between them and two cooks and a bard, in this particular situation, victory and death were a flip of a divine coin away. As such, they decided to go all in, so the warrior moved forward, both his hands now clinched on the handle of his sword, blood quickly dripping from the wound in his cheek, looking angrily with brown eyes at the servants in front of him, and the mage took a step back, quickly chanting something as two spears of light materialized themselves above them. The spears were still semi-transparent, so not fully summoned, but they could still do enough damage if thrown directly at his enemies.

"Come on now", the warrior told them. "What do you think you can achieve? You are not going to leave this room alive if you keep fighting. Even if you do walk out its door alive, you will not survive for long with the Faith's Judgement after all. Drop your weapons, and you will be shown mercy, as the Goddess of the Moons decrees to all those who surrender. "

A hallway, somewhere else
A fire witch

The Punitors were indeed pretty easy to dispatch for a warrior-mage of Illania's caliber, so one after one, they quickly fell to her burning blade, their bodies laying dead on the stone floor beneath. But just as she was finally able to finish them, and just as she might have been contemplating to go and look for the guards and the maid that had escaped with the princess, someone suddenly entered the hallway.

It was a woman.. but she was taller and looked to be much much stronger than Illania or any of the Faith Keepers she had just fought. Her threatening size and strength greatly contrasted with her long green hair, and with her gentle gray eyes. However, probably just to further emphasize that no one should mess with her - she was holding in her hands an absolutely gigantic halberd, longer than even her, with a crimson blade, that seemed to be weirdly marked with some magical chants of an unknown origin, written in white.

"And so I find you again, witch of the Deceitful Flame.", she told her in a gentle voice, tightly gripping her halberd. "It would seem that the Duivenians have decided to betray their Gods and their Faith and to set a most depraved servant of the crooked Traitor Emperor free. Truly shameful." She closed her eyes for a moment, as if to contemplate the course of action that she had to take. "Then I shall bring your judgement and save your soul right here, witch. May you be cleansed by the Imperishable Flame."

Despite the calm tone of her voice, the blade of her halberd was suddenly engulfed in white flames as she charged forward, aiming for the head.

A room, somewhere else
A maid and two guards

The two guards carrying the princess and the maid had indeed managed to find a room to barricade themselves in. A guest room of sorts, richly decorated. They gently placed the still unconscious, pale, and sick princess on the bed and then moved one of the bookshelves in front of the door so as to barricade it. After they finished, they turned around to look at Mélodie, and hesitated. It was obviously quite odd for two guards, two soldiers of the realm to take orders from a mere maid, but her presence of spirit and the just as strong willpower of the witch from earlier, combined with the general chaos of the situation they were in, had made the two soldiers not question their situation at all. Had anyone told them earlier in the day that they would have taken in quick succession orders from an Achysian witch and from a maid in order to save their princess they would have never believed it. And still, they seemed to want to ask Mélodie something, presumably trying to gouge her intent and to find out whether she was truly here to help the princess, or whether she was there as a final trap.. even if at least one of them was trembling a little and looking carefully at the hand in which the maid was still holding a bloody blade, half of her maid outfit stained in crimson.

"A maid ordering two soldiers of the Bodyguards of the King around. Interesting.", a voice was heard, but much to their surprise, it wasn't the voice of any of the three of them.

Instead it was the voice of someone who had not been there before, but was now sitting at the edge of the bed in which the princess was laying. It was.. girl or a boy, it was difficult to tell, who actually looked like a child. She was short, wearing a simple chainmail armor that was dyed in crimson, medium-length but scruffy white hair, and light pink eyes. She seemed to have a peculiar polearm - what might be known in Duivene as a ranseur, , a spear of sorts, with a crescent-shaped blade acting a a hilt, at the base of the spear's tip. It was placed right in front of her on the floor, as she looked at the maid and the guards.

"Why would a maid risk her life to save a princess, who isn't even her master? Why would a maid kill people to save that princess... and perhaps more importantly..", the girl giggled, "How can a maid fight like this, kill Faith Keepers with such ease, spill blood without a second thought... tell me... I am dying to know."

---

A little later
Somewhere
A demon

A cold silence enveloped them all, as the smile disappeared from Estelle's face. From her current expression, she was either really angered by the knowledge that the person she had been seeking was death.. or she really, really, really hated people mentioning her height. Either could have been true, but regardless, few people could have stood there, in front of her, and not run away at once. It was something about her aura perhaps, or just about her general appearance, but the atmosphere around here would have made nearly anyone feel like they were in danger - in a lot of danger, as she tightened her grip on the shaft of her lance, with purplish markings and ornaments on her starting to glow - clearly pointing towards it being some sort of a magical weapon, if not a relic even. Of course, Az was somewhat exempt from this, but even the soldiers, living or dead, around then, instinctively took a step or two back, loosening the open circle around them. And then, just as everyone expected her to lunge at the Loroi or to just turn him into ash... she took a deep breath, and sighed.

"Very well.. Az.", she told him, in a cold and somewhat quiet voice. "It's a shame.. quite a shame really.. but it seems that not even artificial angels can survive in the middle of a night forsaken by the Gods as this." She giggled again. "If you were here to see a Prince of Hell destroy an angel, and lived to tell the tale, then perhaps we really should not try to be making an enemy out of you.."

"He lies.", another voice could suddenly be heard. The circle of soldiers behind Estelle suddenly made way for another figure to enter, and in a few steps, a boy stopped right next to Estelle. He was a taller than her, and he was wearing what looked to be a black priest's attire, with a long, close-fitting, ankle-length robe, fastened with a crimson belt, a white and crimson stole draped around the back of his neck, and over that, something that looked like a combination of a chasuble and a mantle. This attire was unlike any worn by the priests of the Faith of the Sixteen, and it wasn't purely black. The insides of the chasuble were crimson, and all the other pieces of attire were decorated with crimson embroidered ornaments of an unknown design. His odd attire was completed by what looked to be metallic cuffs around his wrists and a metallic collar around his neck, with obscure magical symbols engraved on them. His black messy hair and vivid, crimson eyes greatly contrasted with his skin, but seemed to be a perfect match for the black snake with ruby eyes that was coiled around his left arm.

"He lies, for there was no death in this place. No soul was broken, no body was shattered. If she had been killed then we could have still saved her.. but if she has indeed passed, she has not passed here.", he told Estelle, even though he was looking directly at Az. "And if it was Prince of Hell who ended her suffering in this realm.. then we should seek it. A Prince of the Gods Below should have no reason to help the Keepers of the Gods Above. We might be able to convince it to help us."

[Dragos Bee]

Kyle Perrin-Palailogos, Arghyo, with NPCs in Duivene

32nd Floor

"What does... It look like," the maid said as she gestured for the two minor clerks to run away as fast as they can and get help. "We're here to save the Princess from him and you."

A declaration of enmity towards the Steward and him, with an implication that neither of the two were loyal towards the Princess.

45th Floor

It was the bard who spoke for them, saying, "We've lost loved ones to your corruption - We'd rather die here!"

His mana replenished by the potion he had just drank, he began to sing one final song of vengance, of grievance, a song which made the room shake even as the last minor cook stood protectively in front of the bard. It was clear that they intended to make the room cave in if they weren't stopped...

[Dragos Bee]

Kyle Perrin-Palaiologos, Arghyo, with NPCs in Anselm

In the hills and mountains between the cities of Elmsdet and Wiedlispen, there was nestled a valley, a valley filled with fertile soil and clear brooks, walled by high slopes and cliffs. In said valley, there was a town, a a temple, and an abbey, and the noble which laid claim to the land was absent most of the time, preferring distant intrigues to overseeing his holdings. Such was his preference that he had been tricked into selling title to this town to a merchant, one not from Anselm proper, but from the breakaway called Arghyo. And though even more distant than the noble, Kyle Perrin-Palaiologos gave the town something their former liege did not - The right to rule themselves. For in exchange for 'various considerations', the deed to the land was given to the town of Namenlosen as a whole, with the right to keep the taxes they had once given to their liege.

All that was publicly asked was that all citizens of Arghyo were to be given free hospitality if they can prove that they came from that nation, and that they were of good repute. And so three years later, Namenlosen, a name which meant 'Nameless' in the local tounge, was approaching a state of prosperity. Then a raven arrived at the current mayor's office, bearing a letter from their benefactor tied to its leg. And its contents chilled the mayor's heart.

The Army of the Free Soil - Let it march.

For the price of Namenlosen's freedom was this, that escaped slaves were to be offered sanctuary on the mountains above, ministered to by the monks of the abbey, who would heal, feed, and hide them among their numbers. In addition to that, adventurers from Arghyo occassionally came to train the freed slaves in the arts of war. For more than one year, the 'Army of the Free Soil' had been gathering arms, food, supplies and the occassional warhorse, such that the authorities in Namenlosen were lucky that the 'big shots' in the cities and the countryside weren't looking their way.

But now, as the swiftest of Namenlosen's messenger boys were sent to the Army of the Free Soil's secret mustering grounds, the Mayor and the town council knew that if they failed, they would pay the price, unable to pretend ignorance...

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Anselm
Rural Countryside
"Freemen's Drink" Tavern

All Adelheid could do in the face of Lucia was to smile like stupidly and nod, the same thoughts circling over and over in her head. The Archbishop of Chastity was here. The Archbishop of Chastity thought her quest to be good and righteous. The Archbishop of Chastity was here. The Archbishop of Chastity thought her quest to be good and righteous. The Archbishop of Chastity was here. The Archbishop of Chastity thought her quest to be good and righteous. The Archbishop of Chastity was here. The Archbishop of Chastity thought her quest to be good and righteous. The Archbishop of Chastity was here. The Archbishop of Chastity thought her quest to be good and righteous. The Archbishop of Chastity was here. The Archbishop of Chastity thought her quest to be good and righteous.

It took an immense effort on Adelheid's part to break that circle within her mind, to overcome the endlessly repeating thoughts with on a wave of her own, indomitable willpower. Or atleast that's what she fancied her own will to be.

Finally managing to end the slobbering mess of a state she was in, Adelheid once more rose onto her feet, her cheeks flushed slightly red in embarrassment as she swiped at her clothes with her hands, trying to wipe away any dust or mud she had caught on it on the floor. She gave the others, particularly Lucia, a nervous smile as if to apologize for her unladylike behaviour just a moment ago before settling back down at the table and pulling out a map showcasing northern Anselm and western Wyzkia. In the center of it all was a large area, richly illustrated with bogs, dead trees and ruins and it was here where Adelheid pointed her finger and exclaimed:

"My apologies for my behaviour and for wasting your time. Please, let me get to the core of the matter immediately to make up for it. I am sure most of you here are aware atleast of the rough location of the Merckburger Fen right here? It forms a large part of the border between Anselm and Wyzkia and is...sparsely populated.

The Unsterbs bought the entire Fen after the War of the Dying Griffon, likely with funds they embezzled with their oh so grand contributions to the struggle for Anselmian independence at the time. Suffice to say, their initial attempts at taking it for themselves beyond legal ownership were...less than successful."

She looked at each of the people who had gathered to join her in this quest, her steely gaze meeting theirs, trying to gouge any reactions so far. She hadn't said anything particularly worrisome yet but that was about the change and she wondered if these people were up to it. With one last sweep of her eyes she continued:

"The Fen is bursting with dark magic, ancient, corrupted magic of an unknown source. It draws evil to itself like moths to a flame and the countless people who perished within it do not rest easily. So be prepared for anything, wether it is monsters, undead, criminals or cultists, we will likely find a great deal of any of those crawling through the murky waters of the Fen.

But this is not what truly concerns me.

What concerns me is that the evil does not appear to be contained solely to the Fen anymore. I have received reports of entirely villages on its fringe being found empty, of lights moving inside the Fen and worst of all...there are rumours that the Fen is growing, the ground around it losing its solidity and turning into yet another part of the Fen. I haven't had the opportunity to see for myself yet but some told me they found their homesteads half sunken into the Fen upon returning from the cities.

Then there is also the Unsterb presence in the Fen. Ever since the previous Unsterb, Konrad Unsterb, decided to live out what remained of his life in the Fen, their operations have picked up again. They must have built a base or manor of some sort within the Fen. I know from reliable sources that Konstanze Unsterb, the current head of the Merchant Council,is continuosly sending supplies into the Fen as well as taking occasional trips into it herself. Her family has a...reputation if you get what I mean so I would not be too surprised if she were to be involved in some way in the Fen's changes."

Honestly, putting it all into words somehow made it sound a lot less terrifying to Adelheid than before. Or was it simply because she was putting it in words before people she knew and intended to do something against that with? She certainly hadn't felt any less worried when confiding in her father about her concerns. However, it was still a tall order, the Fen being large, corrupted and teeming with creatures.

"Are there any questions or concerns?"

[Kingdom of Irhk]

Kyle Perrin-Palailogos, Arghyo, with NPCs in Duivene

Barracks Courtyard

Eglamour and his agents - Two palace guards and another bard, managed to get to the courtyard in time to join the battle in earnest, and he promptly gestured for said agents to join the fight against the Faith, with the secondary bard tasked with singing a song of rejuvenation. As for himself, he had a priestess to murder.

Casting his lute aside for one of the swords dropped by the soldiers, Eglamour sang his own song as he cut his way to the priestess, a song of war and slaying which contained the strength of several enhancement spells, from faster speed and reflexes to greater strength and even minor protection from thrown projectiles and glancing strikes from the enemies' swords. And once he reached the priestess, hopefully before she finished her chant, he'd cut off her head with an enhanced swing of his own blade.

All of them

Kyle didn't hire these ten agents if he was without faith in their abilities, didn't spend so much coin to plant them inside the heart of Duivene just to see them killed easily. They were his investment, but also people he thought fondly of, or at least he thought fondly of Eglamour. Whatever happened, he will cleanse the 'Corrupted Faith's' influence in Duivene and make his first and greatest ally against the scourge of slavery and oppression...

Eric de Villegaignon

As Illania seemed to surprisingly - or not so surprisingly - hold a honored part of a honored deal, Eric watched as the battle heated up, with an impressive amount of vigor and will from the soldiers who not so long ago found themselves with drained spirits. Swords clashed, shields lifted along with their wishes to find their princess. And among the battle composed by countrymen, men who shared the same faith yet different heroes, a priestess stood among them, protecting herself as she created a magical dome around her.

Adopting a more offensive stance, he held his sword in one hand, eyes set on the priestess, but never forgetting to cover his angles. As a soldier broke through the battle, decided to stop the somewhat unknown hero which had recently returned to his land, his downward blow was met with a deflection that ran along the blade, changing the direction of the sword slightly enough, enough for the soldier to find himself out of balance and open for Eric's upward cut at his neck, as the body simply dropped to the side. There was an unhinged yet elegant brutality in the duelist that now crossed the battlefield that seemed even more imposing than the previous fights that Eric was in.

As if astonished by the display, a soldier came, legs trembling at the sight of the man who was determined to cross a field filled with Sins to rescues the princess. As his spear plunged into air once, twice, thrice, keeping the Duivenian noble at bay and giving him a brief sense of success, the fourth time found a flamboyant spin, as the sword once again rose, lifting the weapon and sliding so quickly against its shaft that his opponent could barely see when his hand was cut off, before his head was kicked.

Once again, his blade got a brighter, clearer shade, imbued by his magic, as he fearlessly pushed it against the sorceress' shield.

"This shield isn't enough to save you from me!"

[Dragos Bee]

Daniel and Leon Perrin-Palaiologos, Anselm

"None, here, Ma'am," Daniel said, "We're prepared to foil what the Unsterbs are planning and maybe even avenge a few of the wrongs they did - Speaking in general terms, of course."

Leon nodded and continued, "We want to practice for taking on the Black Band too in the future - Our brother, well..."

"Do you really want to tell them about Kyle?" Daniel looked at Leon in surprise, "And I thought you were the cautious one."

"We have an Archbishop of Chastity here," Leon said, "I think it's safe." Then he continued, "Our older brother, Kyle Perrin-Palaiologos of Arghyo, was adopted. He was originally a slave from Anselm, meant to be sold to the Black Band's leader during the war. My father, Deuel, bought him instead from under the those people's and brought him to Arghyo to be free. Not that he accepted the offer of adoption instantly, though..."

"Yeah," Daniel said, "He didn't trust us because he was a slave and being one did not make him trust people easily. That and he must have been afraid that he was going to be seen as a gold-digger."

Leon pursed his lips and said, "He wasn't. He was genuinely surprised when I gave up the inheritance to him - With guarantees - So that I can accompany you adventuring."

Daniel was shocked, "So you were the original heir to the family fortune! Yet you gave all of that up for me..."

"Not all of it," was Leon's response, "I have safeguards to make sure that brother keeps funding our excursions. That said, he must really be worried about us choosing the nation he was a slave in as our region of adventuring..."

"Yes," Daniel confirmed, "He told us not to get in too much trouble, to find allies and friends who can be relied on, and to have a bunch of gold handy just in case we get captured and have to ransom ourselves. Oh, and if we find a Mage more powerful than us, and they are an enemy, to flee as far away as possible. My answer was that he shouldn't worry, and that if I find that Dietritch guy, I'll cut off his head and give it to him."

"You've always been the more bloodthirsty of us siblings..." Leon trailed off.